Poroshenko urges IMF to consider increasing financial aid for Ukraine

KIEV, December 20. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has held a telephone conversation with Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They discussed the Ukrainian economic situation, as well as the fulfilment of the obligations by the sides within the IMF programme, the Ukrainian presidential press service said on Saturday.

“Petro Poroshenko assured Christine Lagarde that Ukraine is consistently fulfilling its obligations to the IMF. The Ukrainian president urged the IMF to consider increasing financial aid for Ukraine,” the press service said.

The sides also co-ordinated the further interaction schedule for the coming period. On Friday, December 19, the IMF mission completed its work in Kiev without making specific decisions on the allocation of funds. IMF mission chief Nikolay Gueorguiev said in a statement, “We found that the Ukrainian authorities are preparing to move decisively on a broad and comprehensive agenda to stabilise and reform the economy, while coping with the difficult challenges that emerged in the last year.” “In this context, we advanced substantially our mutual understandings of policy priorities going forward,” he said, adding the IMF mission would return to Kiev in January for further talks. Until then the discussions will be continued without the mission’s presence in Kiev.